U.S. champions, at least! Team USA has dominated in many of the athletic events — swimming and gymnastics, most notably — at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Many of these have already completed and now, some who have made Us proud — including Gabby Douglas, Allyson Felix and Tony Azevedo — are belting out Queen’s victory anthem “We Are the Champions.”
Although the athletes were great sports about showing off their vocal talents — or lack thereof — in W magazine’s fun rendition of the 1977 classic, the video kicks off with some serious apprehension from swimmer Elizabeth Beisel, gymnast Gabby Douglas — who, along with her team, The Final Five, took the gold in the women’s team all-around — and tennis player Kaitlyn Verfuerth. None protested too much but still seemed nervous to share their voices.
“You don’t want me to sing it, right?” said Beisel. Verfuerth challenged W’s interviewer to belt out the tune: “You should sing it!”
But soon the athletes get into the groove of the rock classic. Some take the easy route and dramatically recite the lyrics, including track star Allyson Felix and swimmer Nathan Adrian.
W magazine’s video captures the one-minute chorus of Queen’s power anthem as it transitions from one singing U.S. athlete to another.
The 2016 Olympics in Rio are ending, with the closing ceremony scheduled for Sunday, August 21. The U.S. currently leads the medal count with 103, with China in a distant second (65) and Great Britain in third (58).
Some of the standout performances by Team USA athletes include Simone Biles’ domination in gymnastics with teammate Aly Raisman on her heels, Simone Manuel’s historic win in the 100m freestyle, and swimmer Michael Phelps earning his record 23rd gold medal.
